i've been thinking

[whatnext]

uh oh. that's the burning rubber smell you've been wondering about....

no. seriously. this is something that i've been thinking a lot about, and Janet1949s harrowing post about her husband being stranded without water and his subsequent heart attack has prompted me to write a little post. i'm currently on a "be prepared" kick. i think that maybe we all should join in the "paranoia" and start to imagine scenarios where we would be caught without food, water, shelter, heat, light. and then we should begin to address the possibilities. i've started to carry food (4 days. self-heating MREs), water, lightsticks and lots of hand warmers in my car, as well as a wind-up flashlight and radio. i was prompted to begin this one day recently when people were stranded for hours and hours in their cars by the weather. i've found the most amazing emergency power generator thingy at Brookstone that will charge/ run everything from a lamp to a mini-fridge, in addition to being able to jump start my car and charge my phone and iPods! i've also begun stocking up on stuff at home. freeze-dried food is my current passion, as well as cans of water that have a shelf life of 30 years. (much longer than MY remaining "shelf life!") my kids think i'm turning into a survivalist or something, but it seems wise to have at least a 2 week supply of necessities on hand, "just in case," and at least a backpack ready-to-go in case you need to evacuate quickly. this is NO FUN to think about, i know. it gave me a headache. but we've seen enough in just the last year, worldwide, to show that it CAN happen "here," wherever "here" is. it can't ever hurt to "be prepared."

i'm sure there are many of you who are WAY ahead of me on this!

[mugsbigsis]

Phylis, we carry "winter supplies" in our cars here in SD during the winter months (you know, Oct through April). :O\ Everyone knows not to go anywhere without proper clothing in their car and extra blankets, a coffee can with a candle for heat, food, etc. When I was growing up in Houston my mom had hurricane supplies every season. Foods like you're talking about, flashlights and batteries, water, etc. . . it's what you did. You don't have to be paranoid to be prepared. To me, that's more common sense and "boy scouting it." :O)

[whatnext]

right you are, Kelly!

[dugarner]

When we were in St. Louis we had a prepared-kit and stuff like that for tornadoes, which were our most imminent threat. Here in Louisiana, it's always a good idea to have a small stockpile of can't-get-if-the-power's-out supplies, just like you said, Phylis. We lose power frequently during hurricanes/tropical storms and in the winter with ice storms.

I think it's a great idea to always have cold weather items and foodstuff in your car, especially if you live in a colder climate or are traveling through a cold climate. When I went to visit a friend at Ft. Irwin years ago, I was not prepared to drive across the desert (from Las Vegas) by myself in the car. Halfway across, I was praying that the radiator wouldn't overheat and that I would be okay. I did have a gallon of water with me in the front seat, but I hadn't thought much past that. When I got there, I was told how stupid I had been to make that drive with fewer than 3 gallons of water (for drinking, for the car, for emergencies) and food for a day or two.

Good thinking, Phylis. Next hurricane season I will be sure to be better prepared.

[maureenreynolds]

When dh and I got married, I told him the house virtually never lost power because we are on the same grid as the police station, or so I'm told. Nonetheless, he was insistent on adding a gas insert to the old fireplace. In over 10 yrs, power has only gone out once for part of a day but at least I know we have heat.

Post 9/11 we did most of what you suggest Phyllis, esp considering our location. It's pretty clear we aren't going to be able to go anywhere...if...but at least we could survive for a while.

Now of course, those supplies are long gone but the last blizzard had me thinking that we should redo at least some of them. On a funny note, I spent a great deal of time searching the house for my wonderful winter boots with no success. I finally decided that I must have left them in the apartment in Italy last fall. So the day I bought new boots, I found the old boots in the car with my other winter supplies that I'd added in December. Apparently I'd made my winter start on the car and totally forgot.

[iUma]

If you want to add to the dark side of this, read the Road. Don't know about the film but listened to the book on the way to FLorida for Christmas a few years back. STill sticks in my mind when every I check my stash of food in the garage.

In the cold country we always carry extras...even if we are only going the four miles to town.

[cstaff]

We did that post 9/11 but just talking today about needing to update and refresh. Need to replenish the water. Hubby is a hunter so we have a lot of survival gear...what is needed in a short emergency. Car is stocked like Kelly's... I think it's just good common sense to be prepared... not paranoid... Thanks for the reminder Phylis... think most of the country could think about it today... cash on hand... land-line phone... many things we take for granted...

[MIDA78466]

I call it being prepared. We stock up like that all the time during hurricane season. Also make sure we have blankets and coats in the car whenever we travel--even if it is just 1/2 hour away. I'd hate to break down and have to walk a few miles in the cold weather without a warm coat. I also make sure I have a pair of walking shoes in the car. I travel a lot on business and would dread the thought of hiking down the road in a pair of heels.

[muddygirl]

This was apparent to us recently too in the floods. With our major highway getting cut in many places, it was only a couple of days before our supermarkets had no bread or milk, no fresh meat, very few fresh fruit and veges and no flour and the rest of the shelves were getting very empty. Some service stations ran out of fuel too. It just shows that if something were to major were happen ( war, terriost attack, major disaster), and supply lines were cut, it would only take a few days before supermarket shelves were empty and people would be in panic. We had people in an area of town that was cut off from the main center by bridge, who were fighting over bread and milk that was being taken over every day.

My own pantry and fridge/freezer are pretty stocked most of the time, and I could feed us for a couple of weeks or more in a crisis, but thoses staples like bread and milk are really hard to live without, especially when you have young children in the house.

[KerryMac]

Since our kids and family are so spread out in the country, we have a meeting place set up in case of a major disaster or emergency. Hopefully, we'll be able to get there. Frankly, it's hard not to be a bit paranoid of late, given all the stuff that's been going on from high gas prices to horrific weather, rebellions, etc.
I try to stay happy and positive and keep some peanut butter and crackers on hand. And a blanket in my car. I think I could do more, though, after reading the helpful hints here!

[home in ottawa]

On a recent car trip to Upper Canada Village, I stocked the car with extra blankets, a thermos, extra mittens, boots, clothes etc. in addition to the shovel, first aid kit and candles that we usually carry. My daughter asked why I always packed the car like it was armagedon. I explained that if we went off the road, or hit a deer, and had to walk for help or got stuck in the car, she'd be glad of the extra supplies. A simple candle lit in the car can raise the temperature a few degrees. The City of Ottawa has a web site with emergency preparedness "tips" on food supplies etc. to keep on hand. Here's the link City of Ottawa - Food and Water Kit Checklist , just in case anyone wants some guidelines. And we're all meeting at Phylis' house to charge our phones.
Susan

[whatnext]

i recently watched a dramatized special from the History Channel (cheerily entitled "After Armageddon"...) about the aftermath of a worldwide flu epidemic from one family's perspective. (i downloaded it from iTunes.) it got my attention, to say the least, and really made me begin to think more about "what if."

Susan, you made me laugh out LOUD!! everyone is welcome, but you'll have to take a turn cranking the thing.

[Carol Elliott]

Don't forget about medications as well ...

[carollee]

I'm pretty lucky where I am, I'm inland from the coast so don't have to worry about tsunamis, we don't have a river in town so I think we're pretty okay where I am with flooding, yes bushfire is a threat but the bush near us is still a little way away, we're surrounded by farms.

Our town is built next to a dormant volcano, just our luck it would be a 1 in 1000 year disaster while I'm alive and the jolly thing would wake up.

However we always keep our petrol tanks filled in the cars. There are only 2 petrol stations in town and both close at 6pm and 8.30pm every night respectively. If we have to go anywhere in a hurry, we're stuck if we don't have petrol.

[anxela]

Extra petrol in the car is something I just have to get. Thanks for giving me the push. And yes, I will travel over the ocean and meet up with you to charge my phone too